The present invention relates to a magazine apparatus which is intended for a rapid-fire automatic gun. The magazine apparatus includes a first magazine for a small number of rounds, for example from 15 to 20, and a second magazine for a large number of rounds, for example 200, the first magazine including first round feeding means and the second magazine including second round feeding means.
The present invention is intended to be employed for a rapid-fire automatic gun of, for example, 40 mm caliber. A large series of magazine arrangements for this type of weapon exists in this art. For instance, it is known in the gunnery art to provide double magazines on either side of the recoil jacket of the gun and to provide the magazine with advancement means for the rounds which are controlled by the gun such that round feed from the magazine is dependent upon the current firing rate of the weapon. It is also previously known to divide up each magazine in such a double magazine arrangement into a first and second submagazine.
It is further previously known in this art to advance the rounds in the magazine subsequently in rows and to employ stellar sprockets in the magazine which guide the rounds during the advancement process.